Wilson Advances to Main Draw After Late Entry

Miranda Wilson, 25, of TV Refrath, has earned a coveted spot in the main draw of the YONEX German Open Badminton Championships 2026, despite initially not expecting to compete. Wilson, the reigning German runner-up, was fourth on the reserve list but benefited from several late withdrawals.

In the past few years I was always in position two, three, five etc. On the reserve list. But no one ever canceled it. So I had ticked off a bit this year, said Wilson.

After defeating Agnes Korosi of Hungary in three sets (21:13, 16:21, 21:11) in the qualification round on Tuesday, Wilson will face second-seeded Chinese player Han Yue on Wednesday.

Bourakkadi/Neumann Secure Main Draw Berth

The men’s doubles team of Malik Bourakkadi and Kenneth Neumann (TV Refrath/Blau-Weiß Wittorf) similarly advanced to the main tournament. They overcame Ruben Garcia and Carlos Piris of Spain with a 21:19, 23:21 victory in the qualification round.

There’s always a bit of tension in the first game at a tournament. But that was a cool game, the atmosphere was quality, it was fun, the duo commented.

Bourakkadi and Neumann previously defeated the same Spanish pair in straight sets at the Azerbaijan International in Baku.

German Players Face Mixed Fortunes on Opening Day

While Wilson and Bourakkadi/Neumann celebrated success, other German players experienced setbacks on the first day of the tournament.

• Jonathan Dresp/Simon Krax (men’s doubles) lost to Donovan Willard Wee/Jia Hao Howin Wong of Singapore (21:18, 15:21, 14:21).
• Bjarne Geiss/Jones Jansen (men’s doubles) were defeated by Kim Astrup/Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark (17:21, 10:21).
• Selin Hübsch/Amelie Lehmann (women’s doubles) lost to Chen Su Yu/Lee Yu-Hsuan of Taiwan (10:21, 12:21).
• Patrick Volkmann/Franziska Volkmann (mixed doubles) were defeated by Brian Wassink/Debora Jille of the Netherlands (13:21, 17:21).

Upcoming Matches

Matthias Kicklitz (men’s singles), Simon Krax/Amelie Lehmann (mixed doubles), and Malik Bourakkadi/Leona Michalski (mixed doubles) will begin their campaigns on Wednesday. Wilson and Bourakkadi/Neumann will also return to action on the second day of the event.